Introduction, Specifications, and Pricing

Out of the blue, we were asked to look at some gear from a company called Micronics. Not knowing anything about them, we looked at a couple of links they had sent to us and agreed to have a look. Without a single bit of information on the company previous to this request, we ventured out into the internet to look them up and see what they were all about. We found that they are a Korean company that has changed names a few times, were established way back in 1996, and at this time, have quite the assortment of components including PSUs, cases, peripherals, fans, AIO PCs, and there is even a section for CPU coolers, although it is empty at this time.

In the request for our review of Micronics gear, we were asked to look at a mid-tower chassis, and highlight a power supply that is designed to fit into their cases. Upon our first glance of the chassis, we felt it was a bit old school in its design, but figured we would give it a fair shake, and put it up against all of the other cases we have seen in our tenure at TweakTown. With that in mind, Micronics has a huge hill to climb to get our recommendations, but we have been surprised by manufacturers in the past. There have been times we almost wrote something off initially, turned out to be something we enjoyed and ended up being either a product which is either so affordable you could not pass it up or was in some way unique and worthy.

What we are putting to the test today is the Micronics Master M400 mid-tower chassis and the Caslon II 600W power supply. The chassis has some features like hidden drive bays, room for radiators, tempered glass, and even comes in a glossy finish for the front bezel or the option for a mesh front panel. The power supply is a standard, non-modular unit, but it is also compact so that the unused wires along with the PSU can be hidden from view without all of the mess associated with them. At this point, we may as well jump right in, and see if Micronics is a company that we could see many of our readers using, or if this is another company that while they are trying their best, it isn't up to snuff.

In the specifications chart we borrowed from the Micronics site, we have most of the information available to make an informed decision. We have the Master M400 with the high glossy finish on it, and the chassis is 470mm deep, 203mm wide, and stands 520mm tall. While a significant portion of the enclosure is made of steel, the front and top of the chassis use plastic covers, all of which is black. The front bezel is shown to have a full acrylic window, but that is not precisely true. There is a small window near the top in one of the optical drive bays, and below it is a pair of round windows to let the fans shine through. The last thing to note about the exterior is that Micronics has opted for tempered glass side panels. The left side is in full view behind a lightly tinted glass panel, while the right side is painted on the inside of the glass to block the view behind the motherboard tray.

On the inside, while stated that only ATX motherboards fit, there are markings on the motherboard tray for Micro-ATX and Mini-ITX as well. There is a single spot for an optical drive, although there are two bays. 3.5" drives go into the bottom of the chassis, in an HDD rack, somewhat hidden under the PSU cover. These bays utilize plastic trays, which are also accommodating to 2.5" drives too. Behind the motherboard tray, there are two dedicated locations for SSDs, as well as a pair of spots to the right of the motherboard, on the front side of the motherboard tray. Other things of interest are found in the front I/O of the M400, where the pair of USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 ports are, along with an LED switch, fan speed switch, and the 7+2 expansion slot arrangement. As far as clearances go, there is 160mm worth of room for CPU air coolers, and the maximum length of video cards is 390mm.

Cooling the chassis is a pair of 120mm LED fans and a single 120mm at the back. As stated, there is room for another pair of fans at the top of the chassis, also made for 120mm fans. It is shown that a 240mm radiator can be fitted into the front of the chassis as well as at the top. The rear of the chassis is also capable of housing a single 120 mm radiator, and we also notice that the front of the chassis is drilled for 140mm fans, but there is no mention of this in the specifications.

As we look around for the Micronics Master M400, we find it on this side of the pond, only at Newegg. While there we see the two versions of the M400, where the front of the chassis is made of mesh at $76. The high glossy version we have for you today is a bit cheaper at just $66. When it comes to a mid-tower chassis, this is far below the $100 average pricing of what we typically see day to day. That being said, by the time we are done with this review, you will have a grasp on the value, and see if the Micronics Master M400 is the right case for you or something you should pass on.

PRICING: You can find the product discussed for sale below. The prices listed are valid at the time of writing, but can change at any time. Click the link below to see real-time pricing for the best deal:

United States: Find other tech and computer products like this over at Amazon`s website.

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